


Warriors: Sandstorm In StarClan

by Xephina_The_Eleven



Category: Warriors - Erin Hunter
Genre: F/M, Warrior Cats
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-10
Updated: 2018-02-10
Packaged: 2019-03-16 05:02:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,400
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13629150
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Xephina_The_Eleven/pseuds/Xephina_The_Eleven
Summary: This is the story of Sandstorm's trip to StarClan after her death on Alderpaw's quest.





	Warriors: Sandstorm In StarClan

Firestar shook out his flame colored pelt from an afternoon of basking in the warm StarClan sun. The moon had begun to rise, bringing a pleasantly cool breeze from the starry forest.

A soft rustle in the brush a few fox-lengths away pulled Firestar out of his thoughts. From between the bramble tendrils at the edge of the tree-line, he could just make out a pair of blue eyes in the pale moonlight.

“Bluestar?”

The grey she-cat stepped out of her hiding place, her eyes glittering with a sudden intensity, “Greetings Firestar.”

“Is something wrong?”  The orange tom asked his mentor as they touched noses.

“You should come with me,” The blue former leader of ThunderClan didn’t wait for a reply; she just turned and began walking the way she came.

Firestar hesitated as they came to the edge of StarClan’s hunting grounds, “If we go any further, won't we be in the Tribe of Endless Hunting?”

Bluestar stopped and blinked at him, “No, there is unclaimed territory between the two, just as there is in the world below.  Clan cats do not often mingle with those from the Tribe…and we won’t be going quite that far today.”

“Then where are we going?”  The former ThunderClan leader felt like an apprentice again under Bluestar’s watchful gaze.

“You’ll see soon enough,” It was hard to tell, but Firestar would almost say that there was a tone of sympathy in her mew.

The flame coated tom had only been in StarClan for five seasons, which made him feel that much more like an apprentice, and yet every cat accepted him as an honored clan cat.

The pair of former ThunderClan leaders made their way across the spirit world, carrying on for what could have been moons or heartbeats before Bluestar halted.

“Look down there,” She meowed, flicking her tail tip downward.

Firestar glanced down, and for a moment was filled with a sense of longing as his gaze rest upon the world of the living.  He spent many days lying in the forest, watching his former clanmates, and willing to be by their sides, even if he was no longer their leader.  Still he knew he had served his Clan well, and that Bramblestar would do well following in his pawsteps.  Shaking off the feeling, he spotted a group of cats huddled under some elder bushes.

 “Aren’t those the cats who were sent on the quest from ThunderClan, and the curious ShadowClan apprentice that followed them?”  He asked, eyes never wavering from the cats below.

“Yes,” Bluestar responded, “But I didn’t bring you here to gawk at them.”

“Something’s wrong!”  Firestar exclaimed as Alderpaw opened his mouth in a noiseless wail. He jumped back in surprise as the starry ground in front of him gave way into a path that lead to the questing group. 

His former mentor nudged him forward, “It’s time for one of your duties as a StarClan Warrior.”

He tentatively placed a paw on the depressed ground and it seemed solid, he began to make his way down the new path that had been laid for him. Glancing back, Bluestar blinked at him forlornly in such a way that made him feel sympathetic for the she-cat and worried about what he was being sent to do. Perhaps he was giving a prophecy or help with the quest, though he felt he had no advice to offer, and none of the cats below him were sleeping that he could see.  If he walked down to the mortal world now, he would be invisible to the living.

As he swiftly made moved closer to the group, he could see Alderpaw huddled close to Molewhisker and Cherryfall with Needlepaw standing off to the side, her eyes glittering with sadness. The others seemed to be standing over something but their bodies blocked his view.

“Their sorrow will pass…and in time, so will the clan’s.”  A much younger and stronger version of a voice he knew all too well echoed from behind him. Slowly he turned to face the speaker, and was faced with Sandstorm’s pale green eyes.  Stars laced her light ginger pelt, and she no longer looked old and frail, but as strong and feisty as she had in the green-leafs of the old forest, “I suppose you're here to take me to StarClan.”

“Sandstorm?”  The dark ginger leader could hardly get the mew out as his throat choked with love and grief.  His precious mate and mother of his kits had passed away, but she was now able to hunt by his side once more.

She nodded to the grieving cats behind him and he watched as they placed her body under an elder bush as their final goodbyes to their lost clanmate. There she would be safe from scavengers as leaves fell across her pelt like snow.

 He was unable to find his voice as his mate spoke once more, with an energy she had lost in her old age, “I’m glad to see you again. I’ve missed you, you big furball.”  She stepped forward and pressed her cheek to his.

“I’ve missed you too.  Not a day has gone by that I haven’t watched over you and the rest of ThunderClan.” He felt his heart would burst with bittersweet emotion, “But I knew the cost of having you by my side again…and I was willing to wait.”

A deep purr rumbled in Sandstorm’s throat as she pressed he flank to his, “I always knew I wasn’t destined to live out my final days in the elders den…it just didn’t feel right.”  She paused for a moment and when she spoke again her mew was laced with fear.  “I’m so far from home…will I be able to enter StarClan?”

Suddenly everything Bluestar had said and done on the way to this place made since, “Of course you will…that’s why I’m here, to take you with me back to StarClan.”  He gestured with his muzzle to the starry path he had taken from the spirit world.

With a comfortable silence, the two cats left the mortal plain and before, he could see Bluestar’s silver pelt above them. “Welcome my loyal ThunderClan warrior.”

Sandstorm’s eyes glittered with excitement, “Bluestar! It’s good to see you again; your clan has missed you since you gave your life to save them in the old forest!”

The grey she-cat blinked her eyes with gratitude, “I’m glad do many of you still hold such a high respect for me after my mental plummet towards the end of my life.”

“That wasn’t your fault! No cat held that against you!” Sandstorm seemed almost overwhelmed to see her former leader again.

Bluestar merely nodded, “Come with us, there are others who will be happy to see you again.” The pale ginger cat turned to look at Firestar who purred as they followed Bluestar back into StarClan’s hunting grounds. Slowly, the trees thickened around them, and the breeze became warmer, and the former ThunderClan leader knew they had entered StarClan once more.

“Sandstorm! Is that you?!” Ferncloud’s voice rang from between the trees.

Dustpelt’s voice closely followed his mate’s, “It can't be.” Suddenly the two starry figures appeared side by side as they trotted into the clearing. “It is! Sandstorm!”

The two of them touched noses before Bluestar spoke up once more, “Come with me, I’m sure Yellowfang will want to see you, she won't stop talking to me about how cruel it was to separate you from Firestar.”

Laying his ears back in embarrassment he glanced over to see his mate doing the same. Bluestar started off at a run leaving the two ginger cats to follow closely in her wake. Despite the fact that this part of StarClan was filled with undergrowth, they didn’t have to dodge any of it, because it magically seemed to move out of the way for them.

When they came to a halt near an elm tree that grew next to a small pond, the grey she-cat called out over the water. “Yellowfang are you there?”

While Bluestar waited for the old medicine cat to respond, Firestar turned to Sandstorm. “Drink, you must be thirsty from the walk, and the water here is always pleasantly cool.” She stepped forward and timidly lapped at the water.

When she finished, she looked back up at the flame-colored tom, “I’ve never tasted water so fresh, not even in the streams in the old forest!”

Firestar purred in amusement, “I wasn’t lying to you.”

“Where is that medicine cat?” Bluestar’s mew took them away from their conversation.

A dark grey outline appeared on the other side of the body of water, “I’m here Bluestar, what do you need?”

“There is a cat here who I think would like to see you.” The former ThunderClan leader seemed unbothered by the harsh tone.

The grey outline began to make her way around the pond, “Has another ThunderClan warrior come to join StarClan?”

Bluestar rolled her eyes as she spoke, sarcasm seeping into her tone, “No, it’s some RiverClan warrior that wants to speak with you.”

“There’s no need to be sarcastic, it was merely a question.” Yellowfang snapped just before she reached them. Suddenly the tone in her voice changed to one of happiness and sympathy, “Sandstorm! I didn’t expect to see you so soon! Were you sick? I hope you weren’t in pain!”

Sandstorm looked kindly at the medicine cat that looked much younger than when Firestar had met her when he was an apprentice. “I went on the quest with Alderpaw.”

“Are you mouse-brained?! You knew you were far too frail to go on that long trek! I thought you of all cats would have more sense than that!” Yellowfang sounded angry but at the same time sad for the pale warrior.

“I also was the only living cat with any recollection of where SkyClan was…and I always knew deep in my heart that I was never destined to live out my final days in the elders den. I’m far too feisty for that, I wanted to go on that quest, even though I knew I would probably meet my fate if I did.” Sandstorm stood up straight as she spoke, unnerved by the insults the older cat through at her.

Yellowfang looked at her paws for a moment, “I know that, but poor Greystripe is the only one left from your generation, he’s going to feel so alone without the pair of you.”

Bluestar turned to face her, “Please don’t start with this again! He has Millie, he’ll be fine. Yes he will grieve the loss of his friends, but he isn’t alone, he has the whole of ThunderClan to look after him.”

Yellowfang shook her head, “Welcome to StarClan Sandstorm. I’m sorry you had to pass without your family beside you, but all of your old friends, family and apprentices will be happy to see you again.”

Sandstorm stood up so suddenly that Firestar had to jump away from her so she wouldn’t hit him, “Can I see Whitestorm? It’s been so long since I’ve seen my mentor, I never even got to say goodbye to him when he died in the battle with BloodClan!”

The three cats who had already spent seasons in StarClan smiled at one another before standing, stretching their paws as they did so. “Of course you can, but this time you’ll get to say hello.” Firestar meowed softly.

This time with Yellowfang in the lead, the cats made their way deeper into the forest, where most of the fallen ThunderClan warriors resided. They much preferred to have the canopy of leaves over their heads much like the WindClan cats stayed to the moor. There were no borders in StarClan, and cats could come and go as they wished but they tended to stay to the land that resembled their clan. Still, it wasn’t uncommon to see a fallen ShadowClan warrior near the river that ran through the heart of StarClan’s territory.

The medicine cat’s sharp call tore Firestar away from his thoughts, “Whitestorm! There is someone here who wants to see you!”

Firestar was still honored to walk by the side of the white warrior again; he knew he had made the right decision in making Whitestorm deputy. There was still a lingering feeling of guilt that it was the leader’s decision that had caused his death, but Whitestorm had assured him when Firestar had come to join him that it wasn’t his fault, and that he had died as he’d lived, defending the warrior code. “Who is it Yellowfang?” The white tom’s voice was calm and collected as it had been when he was living.

“Why don’t you come see for yourself?” Bluestar called out to her nephew.

Firestar just barely caught a glimpse of starry white fur between the trees, and felt Sandstorm tense next to him. “Do you think he’s proud of me? He died not long after I was made a warrior! I hope I didn’t disappoint him!”

The tom in question purred as he stepped out of the trees, “I was always proud of you Sandstorm, and I’m proud to stand by you now as equal warriors.”

“Whitestorm!” The she-cat ran up and brushed her cheek against the warrior’s, “The scar on your shoulder’s gone, and you look so young!”

“As do you,” He glanced around the group of cats, “As do all of us, when you come to StarClan you are returned to the peak of your strength.”

Sandstorm looked at each of the cats in turn, letting her eyes rest on Firestar the longest, “I know that ThunderClan will mourn my loss, but I’m happy to be by my friends and family. In turn, those who are living will come to join me, but they still have lives to live by the lake, and I know they will make the best of them.” Firestar knew she was thinking of their own kits who were now medicine cat and deputy of ThunderClan. Both of which, for better or for worse had kits of their own.

“It is time that you let the younger generations take over, just as we did.” Whitestorm seemed filled with emotion, which as odd for the collected warrior, “And Sandstorm, we welcome you to StarClan as we were all those seasons ago.”


End file.
